Resurrection F: The Prince's Due
by InfiniteEscuro
Summary: Vegeta, even after years of family-life on Earth, is a shrewd and tactical warrior who is capable of dealing out merciless justice when needed, unlike Goku. And he grew up under Freeza, too! Truly, in a form so superior as SSJ Blue, Vegeta had no way of NOT realising what Freeza was going to do; thus, he would then easily stop it dead. Emphasis on that last word.


He'd come back through the magic of the Dragonballs.

With months to prepare and plan, he'd come to Earth seeking revenge.

Taking no chances, he'd started out almost at the peak of his power; at least, at the peak of what it _used_ to be.

Freeza, the tyrannical ruler of the galaxy's most powerful, cruel empire, had returned to destroy Son Goku and everything dear to him; including Earth.

He'd been seemingly outmatched, ill prepared and all around no threat at first. Powerful as he was, Goku's maxed, perfected Base form had been in another class entirely. Truthfully, if Gohan had been given even a month's warning, he'd have been able to destroy Freeza's true form easily with just _some_ training.

Alas, it hadn't went so smooth for long. Freeza's power was undoubtedly greater, but it wasn't just his Final Form which had gotten to superior heights. He'd found a way to alter himself further; a Fifth Form, much like his elder brother's. Only, this Fifth state wasn't a combative and rarely used thing. It was an ascension to powers far beyond what he had.

He'd claimed it was so his new ranking and strength was visually apparent, but rather his new look seemed like a twisted form of respect; Freeza had created this form in the golden, fiery visage of the Super Saiyan state which had bested him so long ago. _Twice_.

It put that transformation, even Goku's perfected and bolstered version, to shame. Golden Freeza was truly a monstrous foe; no level of Super Saiyan, nor even the divine state of God, could've bested him. But a mix of the two…?

It'd been an uphill battle, Freeza held enough of a power advantage that his win was guaranteed in the long run, and he'd even trained himself in a martial art to ensure that he couldn't lose from lacking skills. But, alas, _Golden_ Freeza wasn't capable of holding out in the long run, by the end. His stamina had been hit by the form's prolonged usage, as his body was simply not able to keep up with handling so much energy for so long, having never dealt with anything like it before. His Ki itself had remained powerful and high, and as such he'd clearly chalked up the heavy breaths and higher effort up to simple damage from Goku's Super Saiyan Blue. After all, he'd not been so strong as to be untouchable.

But now, even that temporary disadvantage, those precious few seconds where he'd had no chance of even hurting Goku's already injured body from the sheer plummet on his energy, didn't matter.

Goku lay half conscious, half alive, with a hole in his chest. He'd let down his guard and his ascension, confident and assured that he'd won, just before Freeza's single remaining subordinate, Sorbei, had fired. It wasn't an ordinary weapon, as much as Freeza claimed for the insulting sting it added; his signature had emanated from the device on Sorbei's hand for the briefest instant.

His own Final Form energy, packed into an incredibly resilient little machine. The deadly, piercing technique had easily torn through Goku's base form power; injured and tired from the fight and his first, combat trial of Super Saiyan Blue.

"Oh Vegeta, come down here for a second."

The Prince's calculating scowl didn't shift, and his eyes remained in a blank, cold stare.

"Wouldn't you like to do it?" Freeza asked, a sadistic smirk on his face. The crimson energy in his palm faded away, "I know you despise this Saiyan underling for _daring_ to be so uppity; so I'll let you kill him to prove you've realized your folly and repledged your loyalty like the old days. Do it and I'll spare you at least."

Vegeta's visage again didn't change. Freeza's chuckle didn't even draw a rise from the prince. But this was an easy opportunity to take; if the need for it arose, he'd be in front of Kakarot and could _easily_ defend the idiot's frail body.

He moved into the air, falling more than flying.

"Vegeta, _no_!" Bulma picked up the nerve to shout despite Freeza's presence, and the desperate tone to the back of her voice twisted something like irritation in Vegeta. She could _surely_ see this was a ploy, couldn't she?

Freeza's smile turned into a bared teeth scowl as he turned his head toward the earthling group, "Shut your mouth, woman!"

Vegeta didn't let that bother him. He didn't need to get angry, he didn't need anything more than what he had. The time would come in a short minute and no more.

Standing before Kakarot, the clown's injured, dull eyes snapped into a hazy focus. He looked up, and one of the most strained, delirious smiles Vegeta had ever seen crossed his face, "H-hey…" He greeted with a tiny, breathy and quiet chuckle. His voice flinched and came forced through a lance of pain in his chest, "I really botched this one, huh?"

That was an understatement, if ever there was one.

"Whis tried to warn you and yet here you are." Vegeta scoffed, eyes shut from the sheer stupidity of it all. Goku's fatal flaw, from now to his death, would always remain as overconfidence; if he only got beaten down like this more often, it wouldn't be so much of a problem. He'd learn fast enough, "I guess you always will be a naïve idiot." Or maybe he wouldn't. Who knew? Vegeta looked over his shoulder, "Thanks for the offer," he spoke with a genuinely great effort hidden in his voice as he made sure not to scowl through the words, "but I can't. As annoying as this bastard can be it's our rivalry that keeps pushing me to get stronger; I can't afford to kill him."

It was at once the truth and at once not. But Freeza didn't need to know that.

He chuckled, eyes falling smoothly closed. His amusement of the concepts; rivalry, training, a fundamental need to push oneself; would likely always remain, even as he started to fall under the same ideals.

A finger raising to the sky, Freeza put the other hand behind his back, "How about I sweeten the deal? Take Goku's life and I'll appoint you the supreme commander of the entire Freeza Force. Of course, I know at the moment it only consists of Sorbei," His arms folded across his chest, posture tight and straight in something resembling conviction, "but we'll rebuild it, stronger than ever!"

It was a ridiculous thought.

"You'd make me your Supreme Commander? Is that a real offer?" Again, the effort of keeping incredulous laughter from his voice was a quiet struggle. Such an offer was only made so he'd be distracted, so his power would've been held fast where it was and he'd be disposable if he proved to be a problem; in Freeza's mind, Vegeta and all his strength was insignificant. But he'd learn otherwise soon enough.

"Should I take that as a yes?" He asked, smug satisfaction written across his features. It'd have been a good way to kill him too; the Supreme Commander's first order of business to be turning around and beheading the lord.

"Dammit," Vegeta huffed with a smirk, turning to face Freeza, "now I may actually regret this."

That smug smile faded, Freeza's face screwing up with the confused befuddlement he'd worn long ago, when something he attacked didn't die immediately.

"But I've already made my decision. I'm going to pulverize you until there's nothing left."

The twisted surprise and fury combining into one on Freeza's face as he drew back was worth the loss of a surprise attack. Truthfully, that was behind him. It would be so much better for Freeza to see it coming, to confront the inevitability that he would be destroyed by the Prince of all Saiyans head-on.

"Y-You dare say that to me?!"

"Use your head, did you really think I'd stay loyalto you after you blew up the planet I was destined to rule?" Really, had the time in hell broken up the tyrant's memories? Vegeta had done away with his supposed _loyalty_ so far back as Namek! Alas, Vegeta couldn't enjoy that look of hate, surprise and sheer confusion for long. Kakarot was dwindling behind him, and Vegeta turned to signal the far-off group of spectators, "Get down here Krillin. Your buddy Kakarot needs a Senzu Bean; he's fading fast."

"Ok, I'm coming." It was still almost impressive to this day. Even with his only backup being Vegeta's base form –in their minds, not enough to best Golden Freeza– Krillin was still confident, still brave enough to approach with neither shivers nor shakes. It was silently commendable, for a small-fry like him.

Freeza, however, remembered what a Senzu Bean was. The fight hadn't shaken his memories of the earlier end of his invasion. His arm outstretched to the side, and crimson lit up at the end, "Oh, I don't think so!"

With a pulse, a small, arcing disk blasted from his palm. Weakened even as he was, a sliver of Golden Freeza's energy would effortlessly glide through Krillin's frail, human chest.

But in a zip of rushing air, not a vanishing technique but simple _speed_ , Vegeta appeared before him. His base form was all the backup Krillin really needed; his rigid arm swung, chopping the disk aside with a supreme aim and restraint. It cut through the air beside Freeza, almost slicing into his cheek. But he drew back with a jerking step quick enough to dodge, "Wh-What the-?!" The disk flew, curved and came down on the screaming Sorbei without losing any of its power or speed.

In a flash of red and a burst of acrid black smoke, Freeza's forces dwindled to him alone.

His wide eyes and shrunken pupils turned away from the smoking crater that had been Sorbei a few seconds ago. They moved ghostly passed Krillin, administering a Senzu Bean to Kakarot, and locked mystified, confused, and just a bit intimidated on Vegeta.

He hovered there still, hanging silent in the air with his fists tight and posture steady, rigid; royal.

Freeza's eyes snapped aside at an influx of energy, shifting rocks, and then Kakarot was on his feet. One hand on his hip, he raised the other in acknowledgement.

"Thanks, Vegeta! You really saved my neck!"

"Hmph, you can thank me by staying out of this fight from now on; _I'm_ finishing this." As he spoke, stare of a frigid blankness shifting subtly into a glare of growing heat, Kakarot and Krillin both flew up and behind him.

"Yeah, of course; it's your turn anyway." He turned away, him and Krillin flying back to their spectating group. On the way, Goku gave a salute of sorts, "Have fun!"

Oh, he was going to have fun alright.

Freeza laughed, taking a single step forward and lifting a fist. His eyes were vaguely unfocussed, and his words held just a subtle shift in the tone that gave away his thoughts; he was _hoping_ they were true, but he didn't know if they were.

"Please, if you believe you can defeat me then you're more delusional than ever!"

Time to prove him wrong.

Vegeta scoffed the words away. Teeth bared, fists clenched, he released a reservoir of energy that simply did not belong to mortal kind. A bright, small and tight scarlet outline of flame surrounded Vegeta. Sparkling light crackled at its edges as a golden aura burst up around him. With a guttural yell, his effort and anger released and combined. Sharp and hot to the touch, streaming trails of divine energy flared around him, wrapped around the golden spiky aura which belonged to Vegeta's very soul. It took that energy, and it changed it to something infinitely greater; the crimson fire of God's energy was brought out, mixed atom by atom with Super Saiyan mortality.

A light emanated in a frosty glow of azure brilliance, shutting out the word as Vegeta became but a silhouette. The gold and the red, the mortal and the divine, fused; blue energy erupted into a glare a hundredfold fiercer than the sun. Everyone turned sharply away, covering their eyes; Beerus and Whis excluded. Freeza should've, but rather than preserve his sight he simply stared; fixated and numb.

Vegeta's voice was a struggling calm, a vocal personification of the storm's eye, as he hunched only barely and lowered his head. The energy covered him from head to toe in its azure shine, and then it started to grow hot. This amount of power, under normal circumstance, would result in gale force winds and heavy destruction; but now, it was merely bright, doing no damage to _anything_. He had to be in perfect control to bring it out properly.

Vegeta felt it pulling, with a constant unyielding tug he was made to straighten; head lulled back, fists bent up by his chest. The light started to shrink into him. His frosty covering gained hints of white, and it was a constant cool pulse all over as it solidified.

His breathing felt easier. His body felt loose and nimble, but at once stronger than ever before. It was the adrenaline and exhilaration of Super Saiyan, mixing with the calm and warm peace of Super Saiyan God. They combined as one, completely harmonious.

Vegeta realized he'd been at it for almost thirty seconds, and yet his voice wasn't even beginning to strain. He was revitalized second after second, stamina, Ki and breath not even depleting, never mind coming close to running dry. The glow was a tight and straining thing around him now, burning out from under the icy azure covering him; it shone darker from the inside out. His voice dipped to a clenched teeth groan, a growl.

His fists clenched tighter, his teeth met and nearly ground together. He pulled it in just a little tighter, the all-body pressure of it uncomfortable for just an instant, and then he felt a _snap,_ a wall breaking down, and then…

" _YAAAHH!"_

The cover of energy burst, shattering away into the air with icy crumbling. A second passed and with a gentle pulse, thick fire took its place in a vaguely spiky, but soft and flowing aura of that same azure; within it was a brilliant white, and barely there in a tight outline of Vegeta himself was the dim gold of Super Saiyan. His hair matched the blue, standing in a sharper definition belonging to Super Saiyan, but looking strangely softer and neater thanks to the godly energy.

 _Perfect_.

He lowered his fists to his sides and his eyes to Freeza. The tyrant stared in rapt horror, eyes wide, pupils shrunken to pinpricks, and his jaw dropped; working soundlessly, if the wheezy croaks of terror were ignored. Vegeta stared, glared, for a long few seconds. His frown quirked up slowly, and he barely begun to float down.

For every foot he lowered, Freeza took two steps back. Just before reaching the ground, the tips of his boots not quite there yet, Vegeta paused and so did Freeza. His frown had become a thin line, and then quickly it turned up into a smirk as he set himself down, standing across from Freeza; the tyrant stumbled back once more, shell-shocked still by Vegeta's ascension.

"That's right, you had no idea, did you?" He asked, taking a step forward. He saw Freeza's leg twitch, jitter, but he ultimately was regaining the control to stand his ground. Already, his teeth were clenched, even as his eyes remained glassy with fear, "I've been a Super Saiyan for years. And now, I too have the power of a god."

Freeza regained composure, to some extent. He could move his body willingly, at least.

And he chose to pull a hand back, lit up with a crimson which seemed dull and sick, before he fired with a growl. Vegeta casually smacked it aside; letting his aura bounce it away and merely directing it with his arm.

What a pathetically desperate attack. He'd deflected these with ease in his _base form_ , what did Freeza even _hope_ they could do now?

His spirit was breaking.

Hands outstretched, Freeza simply let loose with a barrage of dozens upon dozens of those pellet-like blasts. And to show just how useless it was, Vegeta didn't dodge, he didn't block, and he didn't deflect; he walked through the red hail with a frown. His pace didn't once falter or even slow.

Just when they stopped, Vegeta let out a sharp breath; his aura copied him, and with a burst of air all the smoke from those blasts was wiped away. Freeza flinched, jolted with a shocked grimace, and stumbled back as Vegeta came to a slow stop.

His spirit would break along with his body.

"You of all people should know this about me, but I don't share Kakarot's taste for forgiveness. I'm sending you back to hell."

His eyes had calmed back to a normal state, but the red of his pupils still shook just barely even as Freeza all but scowled, " _Ha. Ha_." His voice was quick and desperate for insult; hoping to cut with words as he failed to do with blasts, "Your threats are as empty as your title. All hail Vegeta; prince of no-one."

Empty?

 _Empty_?

Not only were there other Saiyans living which Vegeta still, technically, ruled; but Freeza thought the _threat_ was empty? A baseless bluff?

Oh that just wouldn't do.

His fist lifted casually, slowly clenching as his elbow bent by his side. He stood still, complacent in watching Freeza's twitching eyes trying to predict when he'd move. Then Vegeta was gone. Freeza's eyes turned down, growing startled and grimacing as he did his best to prepare, before they shot wide and he coughed up spit and blood; Vegeta's fist collided solidly with Freeza's stomach. He jolted up, leaving the ground for a short second.

When he landed, eyes wild and teeth bared, Freeza jumped forth with a growl. He moved in slow motion, and it was child's play to dodge the attack's while even keeping glaring eye contact; Vegeta countered.

A quick one two, a duo of straight jabs which crunched against either side of the tyrant's face. He started to fall, legs like jelly and eyes dull, before a slight rush of energy brought him back. Freeza recovered enough to stand, again rushing in only to be caught on Vegeta's knee. He bent and groaned over the limb even as Vegeta twisted back, spun, and his opposite leg kicked back across Freeza's face.

He was forced away, bent nearly backwards and barely keeping his feet on the ground; they ripped a gouge in the rock, and Freeza croaked through blood as he brought himself forward. He looked ahead in time to see Vegeta's smirk turn bored, and he tilted his head down; _Come on, is that really it?_

Freeza seemed determined, shockingly. He was truly angry not just at being outclassed, but at being mocked for it; he was pushing himself to win even as it did nothing but harm, when he _could_ have run away. It wasn't even approaching a respectful glance when Vegeta's eyes met Freeza's, when the tyrant launched in with a yell. He attacked only to be dodged, and before he could even attempt a second try Vegeta's fist caught his jaw.

There was no way he'd ever _respect_ this bastard.

Vegeta kept Freeza in the air with another quick hook.

The bastard which destroyed his kingdom, his birthright.

With the opposite fist forcing him back and down, Vegeta's legs tensed and he stepped forward.

The bastard which had subjugated and humiliated him for years and years.

With a growl of what had to be anger, Vegeta's leg lifted and he booted Freeza away.

The _bastard_ which cut down the proud Saiyan race, and every single member of the royal family barring the Prince himself.

Freeza hit the rock with a bang, a crack, and was obscured by the dust. Vegeta could hear the warbling, fading hum of a failing power up, and he could sense Freeza's power plummet as he approached. He could see through a few partings in the grey cloud that Freeza flickered from golden to white.

And then, stopping just out the range of that dispersing dust, Vegeta watched Freeza pale at the sight of his true, very non-golden form. He glared ahead with a tired form of rage and tried to stand; only to collapse to his hands and knees before even getting up properly.

"No, this… this can't be real. This is not the way this ends!" Freeza's voice was a shrill and strained whine, even as he punched the earth with a grunt. Once, twice, and then a third and final smack. Perfect; his spirit's broken, his body is following, and now it was time to die.

Vegeta schooled his voice into a calm, cold scoff. None of the bubbling emotion that had surfaced briefly entered his tone.

"At least try to face your death with some honour." Freeza barely looked up, growing haunted at the sight of a palm levelled at him; glowing with the azure energy of a godly Super Saiyan. Vegeta made the blast larger, brighter; but it remained just as strong. Which was to say, inconsequential to him and easy to disperse, "And don't dream of resurrecting again."

Freeza's head went down. He growled, snarled and shook with rage. An idea lit up in his head, one that would of course grant victory. His snarl turned into a twisting, malevolent grin.

"You can all go to hell _without_ m- _GOUUHH_!"

Unfortunately, it was an age-old trick.

Vegeta's swinging boot sent Freeza up, and with it sharply falling to bring Vegeta a step forward, he caught Freeza by the face; holding him above his head by one hand. The tyrant's wild, shaking and numbly terrified eyes were all that greeted Vegeta. He ignored Freeza's desperate hands on his wrist, struggling and failing to alleviate the grip.

"It's always the same with you, isn't it?" Vegeta asked, slow and calm, quiet and subdued through a scowl. His eyes were narrow and hot with anger, but he held emotion back in favour of keeping his intimidatingly immense transformation. It was a simmering heat at the back of his mind at best, "If you can't kill the warrior, then kill the planet. Easy enough, right?"

Freeza answered with a struggle that had him kicking and flailing, though the 'attacks' couldn't even touch Vegeta through his aura, never mind harm him.

Vegeta scoffed, spitting to the side, "Please. Give me some credit, at least. I've known you for a long time." Vegeta's grip tightened slowly. Freeza's muffled voice croaked out in growing agony as his jaw depressed under the force, "See, here's the problem with that strategy, Freeza." A pop, a crackle, and Freeza's voice was mangled. His jaw dislocated and the skin ripping, he struggled like a frantic, wounded beast; still to no avail. Vegeta's arm shook only with effort in controlling his strength to make it slow, "You could've killed the planet, and you _still_ wouldn't have killed me. I might not breathe in space, but that doesn't mean I can't withstand a planet's explosion as I am now. And I could last a good few minutes simply holding my breath; and you'd have killed my wife. My son. That bastard Kakarot."

His smile was one of sardonic glee, and Freeza screamed into Vegeta's bloody glove as purple ran raw down his face and chest.

"I. Would've. Been. _Angry._ " He grinned, a small and terribly nostalgic thing. For the first time in a while, he was sure to cause a lot of pain and enjoy it just like the old days, "But you still _tried it_! You still _tried to kill them_!" His scowl returned, and Vegeta's fist firmly formed; Freeza's jaw snapped off. His other hand swung; he slapped more than chopped, but never the less Freeza went flying as his jaw hit the floor.

Vegeta's arms snapped out to either side. Golden light went ablaze in either palm.

" _You tried to kill my family_." He hissed the words through his frown. He huffed it away, and with bared teeth his wrists met.

And then, as it should've been so very long ago on Namek, how it _was_ shortly after on earth, and how it would be for one final time; a tyrant of the Cold family was sent to hell by a Saiyan Prince.

" _ **FINAL FLASH!**_ "


End file.
